Microsoft Paint Is Not Dead Yet

Microsoft is not killing off its MS Paint app in the next update of Windows 10, the company said late on Monday, after fears that the iconic software could be ditched.

Microsoft Paint isn’t dead yet, after all.

The U.S. technology company recently released a list which labeled Paint “deprecated”, meaning it was considering removing the app when the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update gets released later this year.

Following an out cry from fans on Monday, Microsoft said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

“In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place,” a Microsoft spokes person told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft’s list of “deprecated” features for future software releases, which means it’s “not in active development” and could be removed soon.

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an “incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint” on Monday and that the program is “here to stay.”

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While MS Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that’s not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like MS Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft 10 unveiled the spin off drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint’s main functions into the program.